Many find it quite difficult to identify the differences between branding and marketing but the truth is, they are not entirely exclusive of each other because one complements the other. Branding is essential to growing and expanding your customer base and increasing your brand recognition.
What then is Branding? Branding is the promotion of a particular product or company using advertising and distinctive design. It involves developing distinctive features to your business that help boost your recognition among consumers thereby increasing your customer base.
It also refers to the core values that define your business as recognizable by your consumers, and essential to marketing.
Marketing, on the other hand, refers to the overall process involved in communicating and promoting your brand, products, and services to the public.
There are different types of Branding and it includes using a tagline, a logo, etc. to represent your business. Branding helps in coordinating your marketing properly and builds a strong marketing strategy and pattern.
Advantages of Branding to your Small Business
Brand Identity and Recognition
A strong branding strategy helps to boost recognition amongst consumers and popularity in the market space. This helps to promote a strong image of what your business stands for as a unique identity. This can be achieved through having a distinguishable branding such as a tagline, and logo that is easily remembered by consumers while communicating the core values of your business at the same time. This helps you interact with your consumers and establish an emotional bond with them. If you have branded items such as hats, t-shirts, or keychains, provide them for free and watch how quickly people become loyal customers.
Customer Loyalty
Having a strong brand identity with consistent values can help you attract customers and help retain them. It also makes them loyal to the point of bringing newer customers to patronize your business. The more a customer gets good reception and experiences from your company, the more they would talk about your brand when trying to make recommendations to others. A referral from a loyal customer who has had positive experiences with your brand is one of the best ways to have more customers patronize you to experience those same values. As a small business owner, you should invest incredible business values and practices to breed loyalty to your brand. Branding helps build loyalty and keeps customers coming back for more even if there are cheaper options available on the market from competing companies.
Trust
A strongly built brand not only does the above mentioned but also helps develop and consolidate the trust of your consumers. It also strengthens your credibility and recognition as well as gives you more edge over other competitors in the market. One way to attain this feat is to ensure your business brand strategies are implemented in your marketing activities at all times. The consistency of your values builds that trust needed to last against competitions over time.
Check out our branding success story here.
Learn how to improve your personal brand with logo here
